According to a recent article in the Albany Times Union, the patient advocacy group known as the Actos Resource Center, has warned patients who have taken the diabetes drug Actos that a new study out of Britain shows that the drug has been linked to macular edema. This recent word comes on the heels of news that the drug was also linked to bladder cancer by a different study.
Warnings about the diabetes drug started surfacing more than a year ago. In June of last year Germany and France banned Actos after a study indicated that the occurrences of bladder cancer were dramatically increased for those taking the medication. The FDA issued its own warning only a few days later.
Then this year the Canadian government issued a warning based on a study showing that the increased risk of bladder cancer was as high as 40%. Just a month ago a new study published in the British Medical Journal showed that the increase in risk from long-term use of the drug might actually be as great as 83%.
After all this bad news things appear to be getting worse as the Archives of Internal Medicine now reports on findings from the University of Nottingham which say that the drug can double or trip the risk of macular edema. This condition causes fluid to leak into the center of the eye and creates blurred vision. The study of some 100,000 people showed that 1.3% of patients taking a drug like Actos for at least a year developed macular edema, compared to 0.2% of patients not on the medications.
The Actos Resource Center has said that anyone who has experienced symptoms of blurred vision, heart problems or bladder cancer after taking Actos should visit their doctor and also seek out a lawyer to discuss their legal options with.
Given the recent studies linking Actos to bladder cancer and blurred vision, its questionable why the drug is still being marketed to patients. Attorneys at Pope McGlamry P.C. are currently taking and filing cases against manufactures to hold them liable for distributing defective products. If you or a loved one has suffered from bladder cancer and you think that it is because he or she was prescribed Actos, contact our Georgia product liability litigation attorneys today and schedule a free consultation.
